The present invention relates to an image reading device provided with an operating section adapted to receive an input operation for controlling an image reading section, as well as an image forming apparatus having such an image reading device.
An image reading device includes an image reading section configured to obtain image data by reading an image carried on a document, and an operating section including a plurality of input keys.
With diversifying functions of image reading devices in recent years, input operations tend to become complicated. One conceivable approach to obviate such an inconvenience is to increase the number of input keys in an operating section, thereby to simplify the input operations. In an arrangement wherein the operating section is mounted on top of an image reading section as in a conventional image reading device, however, an area that can be provided for the operating section is made narrow to limit growth in the size of the image reading device and, hence, it has been difficult to place a sufficient number of input keys in the operating section.
Among mobile electronic devices, on the other hand, there is one which is configured to allow a ten-key pad case to be drawn out relative to a full-keyboard case, thereby to expose the ten-key pad case, as disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 2007-179525 for example. This configuration makes it possible to use the ten-key pad along with the full-keyboard by drawing out the ten-key pad case when necessary.
With the conventional image reading device, however, if the operating section is rendered capable of being drawing out and placed closer to an edge portion, vibrations caused by input keys of the operating section depressed by an input operation are sometimes turned into larger vibrations by the principle of leverage, which are then transmitted to the image reading section because the operating section is supported on the image reading section. If such vibrations are transmitted to the image reading section, the image reading precision lowers. The configuration described in Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 2007-179525 is not made by giving consideration to a technique of suppressing transmission of vibrations caused by depression of the operating section.
A feature of the present invention is to provide an image reading device and an image forming apparatus which allow the number of input keys to be increased while suppressing transmission of vibrations to the image reading section and limiting the growth in the size of the image reading device.